Aptera Rolls Out First 2e Pre-Production Model

Recently Aptera announced that they have rolled out the first pre-production model of their eagerly anticipated 2e. The sleek electric vehicle features an incredibly strong and aerodynamic body, a lithium-based battery, front wheel drive, and an improved door design, marking a significant landmark on the road to release by October of 2009.

Although Aptera‘s pre-production 2e will be slightly different from the finalized vehicle, it’s great to see the company on track for a release later this year. The Aptera 2e is designed to go from 0-60 in under 10 seconds, have a maximum speed of 90mph and give you around 100 miles on a charge. The final cost of the vehicle is yet to be decided but is expected to be between $25,000 to $45,000, and Aptera has already received nearly 4,000 deposits

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14 Comments

AdamSMarch 17, 2010 at 8:10 pm

I have been following this company for a couple of years now. Eager to purchase one myself.

But, I have come to a conclusion that Aptera is just another example of a couple of guys getting rich off of investment money (now throw in tax payers money) with no intentions of ever producing a single car for the general public. The article did mention something about, “Translation: No money, no car.”

They have designed a great looking vehicle, a vehicle that performs well, fair amount of space, and if it does come in at $25000, a reasonably priced high tech vehicle. I have not read one bad review from anyone that has actually driven the concept car. But give me a break, two years of delays…to add electric windows….redesign the body to have better manufacturability? Don’t get me wrong, not questioning the reason for delays, just the amount of time to get things done. Furthermore, Aptera has talked about crash testing a vehicle for a verrrryy loooonnnnggg time. I question Aptera’s validity as a company.

changzer, you’re unbelievably backwards. Aerodynamic design is good design. Seriously, by saying things like “the Aptera has butt-ugly design…” you only show that your tastes are unnatural, primitive, outdated and out-of-touch with reality.

istealllamasJanuary 30, 2009 at 12:01 pm

This car looks like it will:
A: Get destroyed in any sort of two-car collision.
B: Be completely useless if there’s any rain or snow.

I realize that making futuristic-looking things is fun, but this doesn’t seem practical at all.

Bruce JohnsonJanuary 30, 2009 at 8:22 am

Changzer
This is an extremely serious vehicle; the preproduction release is awesome and inspiring to those of us anxious for a new direction in the method of travel with less environmental impact.
As for your ability to evaluate good design, you’ve just removed yourself from any such consideration.

M. ReedJanuary 29, 2009 at 5:52 pm

In biological terminology, -aptera means “wingless.” Given how the doors open, I find this amusing.

Shepson1January 29, 2009 at 8:58 am

If you look on their website, you will see that although they are not required to have airbags or side impact testing, they are still putting airbags into it and doing crash modeling for it. This vehicle has a composite space-frame that is actually stronger than most regular cars. As far as I can tell, they aren’t doing any actual crash tests because of the cost, but they are putting it into a crash simulation modeling computer program (to do side impact and other impact testing). Steve Fambro’s goal is to “meet or exceed all required safety features of a normal car.” As such, it still has airbags, crumple zones which deflect crash energy away from the cabin, and an extremely strong space frame. It’s not a trick to get around NHTSA requirements. Fambro realized with this design he’d be fighting that naive idea from the public, that it couldn’t be safe enough. It just doesn’t need 4 wheels (less drag that way. It has a drag coefficient less than that of a side mirror on a pickup truck), and doesn’t really fit well into any existing category. Because of this vehicle and a few others, some states are trying to get another class of vehicle defined… something that’s not a car and not a motorcycle, because this is neither. As for the hybrid version, they will have one. Plans are to use a small gas powered engine, which increases the range and gets over 200mpg. They couldn’t find an originally planned diesel one small enough that had clean enough emissions to meet their standards. As for having it in Europe and not the States, that’s extremely unlikely, as the company is American and based in Carlsbad, California. Right now, they are only selling to customers who have residence in California, with plans to extend to other states as they get more established.

changzerJanuary 29, 2009 at 2:08 am

this is why EVs are not taken seriously, and might be shut down just like GM’s EV1.
butt-ugly design…

They can skirt around NHTSA crash testing by having only three wheels. No airbag, side impact crumple zone, etc requirements. Less expensive, ZAP does it to get their electric cars out there cheaper.

r00January 28, 2009 at 2:36 pm

They can skirt around the NHTSA crash testing with three wheels. Won’t need airbags, won’t need side impact protection, etc. Less expensive that way. ZAP does it, as do several other 3 wheel vehicle manufacturers.

greenleafJanuary 28, 2009 at 11:47 am

I am pretty sure it will be street legal in all 50 states, but it is technically not classified as a “car” because it only has 3 wheels.http://www.aptera.com

mutsoJanuary 28, 2009 at 9:31 am

In the state of WA, if it doesn’t have 4 wheels, you must wear a helmet.

bugmenotJanuary 28, 2009 at 9:14 am

Ziggytron,
Having three wheels is completely legal.
However, it is also a trick way to get around a lot of the US safety requirement laws because three wheeled vehicles are classed as motorcycles. Therefore no side impact tests etc.

I think this vehicle would be much cooler as a hybrid with a small, clean diesel running a generator.

atomaticJanuary 28, 2009 at 2:06 am

Sure is a lot cooler then the Hot Wheels.

ZiggyTronJanuary 27, 2009 at 7:46 pm

It’s great to see something so aerodynamically beautiful, but what is up with having only 3 wheels? Will that even be street legal in all 50 states, or is this another “we have it in Europe, but you can’t get it in the US” thing?